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Opinions of Sunday, 12 June 2016

Columnist: Alan, Jet

Are we ghosts or goats?

Somewhere in Bogoso, Egya Badu, a peasant farmer, enters his pocket, fetches his last one-Ghana pesewa, raises his damn head, shakes it hardest and begins to purr, "Mahama Must Go". In Tema Community One, a young lady who lost her job to dumsor is yet to stop raining insults and curses on Mahama and his administration. Soon, she also begins to sing Egya Badu's "Mahama Must Go". Also in Atonsu, Kumasi, Uncle Sammy, a lawyer who has had to park his car in his garage for months now because he cannot afford the cost of fuel, has added his voice to the chorus, "Mahama Must Go". In Apremdo, Takoradi, a young teacher, with his family, is packing back to the village while he sings "Mahama Must Go" with bitter heart. The recent hikes in utility bills have intimidated him to leave the city and resettle in the village.

From the West to the East, and from the North to the South of Ghana, we seem to have reached a consensus; Mahama Must Go. Prior to election 2012, this "Mahama Must Go" song was here with us, but in a different rendition. And Ghanaians sang it with verve. Did Mahama go after the elections? No! Four years down the line, this same "Mahama Must Go" track is back with a bang, and again, Ghanaians are humming it in unison. Though voters are yet to construct and join long queues for election 2016, I have this deep feeling that again, it'll be a one-touch win for Mahama and the NDC. Please are we ghosts? Is it ghosts from the Takoradi European Hospital Cemetery who steal themselves back to the land of the living to vote for Mahama? Does Mahama do cemetery to cemetery campaign? No, we can't be ghosts! We are goats. Goats don't have feelings. It's only the goat that can be kicked a million times with a metallic shoe, and will still bounce back to continue the mischief it did not complete.

If we truly feel the pinch of dumsor. If we claim there have been unprecedented hikes in utility bills. If we really believe our economy is in bad shape as we have on our lips every passing minute, why do we keep voting for the same person we have hanged by the neck as the imp responsible for our sorry fate? Are we goats?

Do I conclude that we are pathetic pretenders who turn into ghosts on election days? Could it also be Mahama is doing an excellent job but we are either afraid or ashamed to acknowledge this fact in public? Do I smell ingratitude? Or simply, we are goats!!

JET ALAN.

The writer is a blogger @ www.ghanawrites.com and
http://standupgh.com